I've gained a new interest in go simply because it's possibly THE MOST COMPLEX GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN O_O

edit: well what I mean is that it is the most complex given out simplistic the rules and mechanics are. Really, it's only an up scaling of the mechanics behind connect4 and tic-tac-toe and Othello. The basic mathematics behind them remain the same, yet Go, with it's infinitely simple playing, is so complex in it's expansion of options and choices during play that to-date, we're barely able to make a computer able to play at a novice level, let alone against a grand-master, compared to Chess, which has more complex rules, yet the mathematics behind it are much, much, MUCH simpler, to the point where computers can destroy opponents of ANY level.

the basic rules are amazingly simple, as I stated, the game itself though is more complex than anything I have ever seen before.

Think of it this way, even games like Starcraft, that have HELLISHLY complex rules if you were to put them on a table top, can be played in an expert manner by a computer program.

But Go has maybe, ooooh, what? A set of about 5-10 simple rules? Yet there is no computer on this earth that can play it in more than a novice fashion. The mathematics behind it are endlessly complex to the point where we do not have a synthetic calculating system capable of concieving the optimal strategy.

Now, compare and contrast with tic-tac-toe, which is really just an ultra simplified version of Go. Vegas has 13 chickens, FUCKING CHICKENS, who if given the first move, are capable of beating human opponents. Realize that chicken brains have approximately the processing power of a graphing calculator, if that (if you beat the chickens you win 10,000 bucks, so seriously, the casino is betting on the chicken winning here if it's given the first move). Now, Go, which follows GENERALLY the same mathematical principles, just scaled up enormously, is impossible for any computer to master.

Do you understand NOW why go has intrigued me? o_O this shit is insane, it's the CORE PRINCIPLE of simple rules that lead to complex simulations. If I can figure out Go, I can apply the principles to ANY GAME I MAKE >>